The second round of 2015 Stihl SA MTB DHI Cup Series takes places at Cascades MTB Park, Pietermaritzburg on Sunday 5 April 2015. This event forms part of the Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival from 3-5 April.
Competing in round 2 of the DHI Cup this coming weekend is Sportsnut DH Team and Men’s Elite rider, Sam Bull. Bull is back on his bike after some time off due to an injury.
“Forced-time off is not always a bad thing – it kind of forces you to put time into visualising and getting perspective on certain things from a mental point-of-view. I focused on my recovery process and didn’t push myself too hard. I got into the water a few days afterwards and did some swimming training in order to at least do some physical activity,” he said.
Bull was involved in a collision on his bike with a motor vehicle last month, which left him with fractures to the transverse processors of his L3 and L4 vertebrae and a broken big toe.
“The toe was actually more painful than my back. I wouldn’t say that what I sustained was too physically painful, just more of an inconvenience, as any injury is. I think I was lucky. I didn’t need surgery on my back or my toe fortunately, so I’m thankful for that.”
The injury did nothing to crush the spirit of this rider, as he has been making the most of his time off. “I honestly am just looking at all the positives. I guess you could say that I am making the best case scenario from a worse possible situation right now,” he said.
Being back on the bike and practising has got Bull feeling like he hasn’t entirely missed out on, or lost too much pre-season prep. “I feel I’m ready. I cannot wait to get back out there. This weekend will be exactly eight weeks since my injury. I’m so excited. I feel like I’ve healed well. I’ve practised a bit on my bike and don’t feel too rusty, and I am absolutely more ready than ever to ride this weekend,” he said.
When chatting about the Cascades Bike Park DHI track, Bull had this to say:
“Because it is an international track, there’s always excitement around events that happen there. Riders all help put it together, and so there is a lot of rider input that goes into the track. We like to challenge ourselves, so in helping with putting the track together, there’s a great idea of what riders want in a DHI track. There are lots of big jumps; it’s a fast track, and its physically challenging. It’s not always easy, but it’s a fun track. Everyone always has fun when they ride it.”
The track in Pietermaritzburg always sees hundreds of spectators at national and international events. The spectator-friendly course makes for a wonderful day out for friends and families alike.
“Another thing that makes it such a great spot is that there’s always stuff going on. There is lots of socialising, and its great for spectators as well. There are so many on and off-the-bike activities for everyone,” Bull said.
Although his roots are planted firmly in SA, Bull’s dreams are great ones, and he is looking forward to compete at international level later this year.
“I try to do as many local races as I can; however, my major focus is on international ones. I have chosen to give the first round in Lourdes, France a miss and focus on my recovery, however, at the beginning of May I will be heading overseas to compete. I feel that I will benefit more with just a bit of extra time at home,” he said.
For more information about the 2015 Stihl SA MTB Cup Series, click here: http://www.cyclingsa.com/2015-sa-mtb-cup-series
Entries are open, and close at midnight tonight (Tuesday 31 March). Click here to enter: https://csams.cyclingsa.com/online-entries.aspx?eventid=3945
For more information about the Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival, click here: http://www.cyclingsa.com/2015-pmb-mtb-festival
